Device for washing golf balls



Feb. l2, 1929.

H. D. DAY

DEVICE FOR WASHING GOLF BALLS original Filed sept. 4, 1926 IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

` Patented Feb. 12, 1929.

UNITED STATES HOWARD D. DAY, 0F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

DEVIGE FOB WASHING GOLF BALLS.

Application illed September 4, 1936, Serial No. 133,605.

This invention relates to an improved device for washing golf balls and other similar articles; and has :for its object to provide a device of this character which comprises cssentially a brush and a device for carrying the balls to be washed against the brush and to provide a relative rotatino` movement between the ball and brush ande simultaneously supply water to the brush and balls to assist in the cleaning operation.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a ring-shaped brush and a rotor arranged to operatively support the balls to be washed within the ring whereby a rapid rotation of the rotor causes the balls to move into contact with the brush to clean the ball or balls.

A still further object of the invention is to provide the ball-carrying rotor member with `pockets in which the balls to be cleaned are de osited and which pockets serve to conductt e balls radially outwardly by centrifugal force into contact with the brush as the rotor is rapidly revolved. y

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a water motor for driving the rotor and of meanswhereby when the water pressure to the `motor is turned on a portion of this supply will serve to assist the brushes in cleaning the balls. i i

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended clalms. i

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved golfall washing device partly in section showing the foot-operated valve for controlling the low of water to the motor and to the balls while being cleaned by action of the brushes upon them. v

Figure 2 is an enlarged section through the head portion of the cleaning device. y

Figure 3 is a section on line 3--3 of Figure 2 showing the brush in ring form with the rotor supporting the balls to be washed within the ring-shaped brush.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a detail of the rotor. i

Figure 5 is a sectional view on line`55 of Figure 2 showing the jet tubes and the driving buckets. p

Figure 6 is an enlarged view partly in section showing the upper end of the water supply pipe and showing the adjustable memcleaning operation,

`ing inclined the water motor with Renewed November 8, 1928.

bers for controllingthe amount ofwater discharged through this central tube onto `the balls and brush. y

Figure 7 is a section on line 7-7 of Figure6. Q In playing the game ci golf the balls used become soiled and require to be often cleaned in order that they may be more conspicuous and sightly and be more readily found,`es pecially after having been driven into the rough, and to this end I have ple and effective device adapted to be setnear the tee, whereby it is only necessary to deposit a single hall or a predetermined number of balls into the device and by a single footopen provided a simation upon the valve which controls the sulpplyof water pressure to a motor `causes t rotor in the device to rapidly rotate and carry the balls deposited therein to be acted upon by centrifugal force to move outwardly into contact with the fixed ring-shaped brush and at the same time cause water to be forced against the balls and brush to assist inthe which operation quickly cleans the whole surface of each and u on removing the foot the valve is closed to s ut ofi` the water supply, stops the rotor and permits the balls to return by gravity to the center of the device where they are readily engaged and removed, the cleaning operation requiring but a. few seconds of time and practically y no e'ort on the part following is a detailed descriptionozf` the present embodiment of my invention and showing one arrangement of parts by which these advantageous results may be accomplished. i y i With reference to the drawings, 10 desxgnates the hollow column or standard which may be secured in position over afwaste pipe 11 by means of bolts 12 which maybe 1mbedded into a cement base 13. On the upper end of this column is supported a bowl- Y shaped head memberl which is secured to the column by bolts 15.

of the operator; and the rIlhis headmember is provided with a top plate 16 having a central 1 openingl` ofa size to permit passa e of thewhand of the operator, the `top sur ace 18 of the plate becausing any water `which may be splashed out of the `bowl thereonto to run back into the bowl.

The under side `of this head memberl is preferably lined with sheet rubber 19 whlch also has a similar central opening20. On the under side of this top plate is secured a Vmotor bucket ring-shaped brush 2l, the brist-les 22 of which extend radially, inwardly and inside of this ring of bristles I have rotatably supported a rotor member 23 which is provided with a plurality of channels or pockets radially dis osed and open at their outer ends.

ne wall 24 of each of these pockets is prefe 'ably slightly curved so as to assist in conduct-ing the ball outwardly against the bristles when acted upon by centrifugal force. The opposite wall 25 of each pocket is preferably substantially parallel to a line drawn through the axial center of the rotor and through the center of the ball which is in the pocket and lying against its face 25, The floor 26 of this rotor is also preferably faced with rubber inclined towards the center so that after the ball has been carried out against the brush by centrifugal force it will automatically roll back towards the center when the rotor ceases to rotate to be readily removed by the hand of the operator through the central opening in the head plate.

This rotor member may be mounted to be rotated in any suitable way, but I have herein shown the rotor as .mounted upon a water wheel or motor 27 which comprises a plate 44 provided on its under face with a plurality ofbuckets 28 arranged to receive their rotating power from a plurality of water jets are ranged to impinge against the buckets from fixed discharge tubes 29. This rotor is herein `shown as heilig rotatably supported on the upper end of the enlarged water head 30,

while the jet tubes 29 are fixed in this water head 30, the water head itself being xedly supported on a set of radially disposed vanes 32 that rest upon the bottom plate 44 of the bowl 14.

Water is supplied to this water head 30 through the vertically-disposed pipe 34 and is controlled by means of a valve 35 which is arranged to be operated through a foot lever 36, whereby when this foot lever is pressed downwardly the valve is opened, the water is permitted to actV through the jet tubes 29 upon the buckets of the water motor to rotate the same rapidly and carry the rotor with it.

I have herein shown one method of securing the rotor member to -the water wheel which is that of providing a tubular post 37 having' an enlarged head member 3l at its lower end to engage the under surface of the plate 44, the upper end of this tube being threaded and onto it is screwed a flanged nut 38 to bind the rotor body plate to this bucket plate 43 of the water motor.

In order to permit passage of the water from the hollow water head.30 upwardly through this tubular member 37 to act against the balls to assist in cleaning them, I have fixed one end 39 of the tube 37 in this water head member 30, the upper end 40 of this tube 37 being slotted lengthways thereof as at 4l and threaded and onto this threaded portion I have screwed a sleeve 42, see F igure 6, to extend down over a portion of the slots and is adapted to be adjusted endways to leave the lower ends of these slots open the amount desired, and in order to lock this sleeve in position, I have provided a lock screw 43 which is threaded into the upper end of this sleeve to set against the end of the tube 3.7 to bind the sleeve in any adjusted position on the tube.

By this means any desired amount of water necessary for washing the lbulls .may be obtained and it will be noted that when the valve 35 is closed to shut off the motor supply this action also shuts off the supply of washing water to the balls and brush.

By the use of my improved device, it is only necessary to deposit intothe head por tion the number of balls not to exceed the number of channels or pockets in the rotor, and then by pressure of the foot upon the lever 3G water pressure is admitted through the valve which will act upon the motor to rapidly revolve it and the rotor carried on it and cause the balls deposited in the rotor under action of, centrifugal force to roll up the inclined surface in to contact with the brush, the brush and balls being supplied with water to assist in the cleaning operation which quickly washes tl e balls and when the rotor is stopped by shutting ofi'1 the water pressure the balls automatically roll back to the center and may be readily removed by the hand of the operator.

It is observed that the inequalities of the surface of the brushes together with the general vibration of the rapidly rotating rotor causes the ball to jump or bound about and at times come into Contact with the upper rubber fixed surface of the top plate 16, which contacting surface causes the balls to rotate on an aXis at right angles to that caused by Contact with the brush bristles so that the general jumping about of the balls imparts a universal rotation thereto causing their whole surfaces to come into Contact with the brush and be cleaned.

Having thus described one illustrative em bodiment of my invention and the best mode known to me for carrying out my method, I desire it to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for the purpose of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A golf ball cleaning device comprising a ring-shaped brush, a rotor having channels therein for receiving and supporting balls to be cleaned within the ring, and means for rapidly rotating the rotor to present the balls to the brush by centrifugal force.

2. In a golf ball cleaner, a ring-shaped brush7 a rotor therein having channels therein for receiving and Supporting balls, means by which the rotor may be rotated to present the balls to the brush by centrifugal force, and means forsupplying washing water during the action of the brush upon the ball.

In a golll ball cleaner, a ring-shaped brush, a rotor therein having channels therein for receiving and supporting balls, means by which the rotor may be rotated to present the ball to the brush,and means `for supplying Washing water durinnr the action of the brush upon the balls and for arresting the iiow coincident with the stoppage of the rotor.

4. In a golf ball cleaner, a rinwshaped brush, a rotor Within the brush ring aving a floor ior supporting a ball, walls substantially vertical to said floor carried by said rotor, the balls being free to be moved into contact with the brush by action of centrifugal force as the rotor rotates.

5. In a golf ball cleaner, a ring-shaped brush, a rotor arranged to revolve in a horizontal plane, radially disposed pockets in the rotor open at both ends, each arranged to receive a ball at one end and conduct it under action of centrifugal force to the other end into contact with the brush.

6. A golf ball cleaning device comprising a brush, a ball support, a water motor for driving said support relative to said brush, a nozzle for directing water on the ball, and a valve for controllin the Water supply to said nozzle and motor w iereby when the valve is opened a portion of the Water acts to assist the brush to wash the ball.

7. In a golf ball cleaning device, a bowlshaped head having a cover with a central inlet opening, a ringshaped brush fixed in the bowl, a rotor mounted in the bowl for receiving and supporting the balls to be cleaned Within the rin and means whereby the rotor may be rapid y rotated to move the balls by centrifugal force into contact with the brush.

8. In a golf ball cleaning device, a bowlshaped head having a cover with a central inlet opening, a ring-shaped brush fixed in the bowl, a. rotor mounted in the bowl for receiving and supporting the balls to be cleaned within the ring, means whereby the rotor may be rapidly rotated to move the balls by centrifugal force into contact with the brush, and `means for supplying Water to the brush to assist in the cleaning action. 9. In a golf ball cleaner, a ring-shaped brush, a rotatably mounted disk having channels arranged to receive and operatively support balls within the ring, means by which the rotor may be rotated to present the balls to the brush, means for supplyin Washing water during the action ofthe brus upon the ball, and adjustable means for controlling the amount or' water su plied to the brush.

10. In a golf ball c eaner, a ring-shaped brush, a rotor arranged to operatively support a ball Within the ring, means by which the rotor may be rotated to present the ball to the brush, and means Jfor causing a jet of water to `act upon the balls on the rotor to assist in forcing it outwardly against the brush and also assist in the cleaning operation.

11. In a goli1 ball cleaner, a ring-shaped brush, a rotor arranged to revolve in a horizontal plane and support the ball within the brush, an inclined floor in the rotor for permitting the ball to move by action `of centrifugal torce into contact with the brush and there roll back toward the center as the rotor stops.

l2. In a golf ball cleaner, a rin sha `d brush, a rotor for supporting the ba 1 wit in the ring, means for revolving the rotor to throw the ball by centrifugal force against the brush, an abutment carried by the rotor against which the ball frictions to retard its rotation due to its movement aloner the face of the brush and increase the scriilcbing` action of the brush.

In testimony whereof I ailx my si ature.

HOWARD D. AY. 

